Clothespin loading machine



Oct. 6, 1959 J. M. ALL-EN CLOTHESPIN LOADING momma:

Filed June 24, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 6, 1959 J. M. ALLEN CLOTHESPINLOADING momma 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1958 MM/1W Oct.- 6, 1959J. M. ALLEN 2,907,159

CLOTHESPIN LOADING momma Filed June 24. 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet a 4Sheets-sheaf 4 Filed June 24, 1958 ATTORNEY? United States PatentCLOTHESPIN LOADING MACHINE John M. Allen, West 'Paris, Maine, assignorto Penley Brothers, West Paris, Maine, a corporation otMame ApplicationJune 24, 1958, Serial No. 744,089

10'Claims. (Cl. 53'154) This invention relates to packing machines, andparticularly to machines for packing Clothespins in boxes, or cartons,for shipping and merchandising.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a machinewhich will automatically feed clothespins and containers therefor to aloading station, place the clothespins in the containers and move thefilled containersfr'om the machine.

-Anotherobject is to provide a machine of this nature which will becapable of packing either spring or slotted type clothespins withoutnecessity for changing the machine to adapt itto one or or the othertype.

A more specific object is the provisionof such 'a machine in which theclothespins are arranged in layers, and the container'willbe held at theloading station until'the required number of :I'ayers have beeninserted.

A 'further object istoprovide improved inserting means for a machine "ofthis kind, which will permit insertion in the bottom of a relativelydeep container while maintaining complete control of a plurality ofarticles being inserted simultaneously.

Yet a further object is to provide a packing machine in which thearticles to bepacked willbe ted to "the loading station on oppositesides of thes'tation andinserted oppositely in the container. g

:A still further object is to providea pack'in'g machine which-willadvance empty containers "to 'a -l'o'ading station at a relatively slowspeed and, when filled, move them rapidly-from the machine, leaving agap between the incoming and outgoing containers to permit ropertunetion of means to hold the containers in the loadingposition.

Other objects 'ofthe invention will become apparent from the "followingdescription of onespractienl embodiment thereof, when taken inconjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, thisspecification.

111 the drawings:

Figure 1 is atop plan "view or 'a clothe'spin packing machine embodyingthe principles of the present invention; I

Figure '2 is a section taken on'the line '22 of' Figure 1, showing themajor part of the machine 'in side elevation;

:Figure 3 is a central, vertical, transverse section throughthem'achine,'taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of the loading station at the sametransverse plane as shown in Figure 3 with one loading mechanism movedto insert a layer of pins in the bottom of the box;

Figure 5 .is a view similar to Figure 4'withthefirst loading mecha'nismretracted and'the second in inserting position;

. tral 'H shaped frame.

2,907,159 Patented Oct. :6, 1959 2 tionalong the container feedingpassageway, and is taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3;

-Figure 9 is a horizontal section through the container at the loadingstation-showing the container holding and positioning means, and istaken on the line 9- -9 of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a section taken on the line 1010 of 'Figure -1, showing aclothespin on a feeding belt and embracing a guide fixed alongside thebelt.

In general, the packing-machine of the present invention consists 'of apair of belts feeding articles to be packed to a loading station, towhich another feeding means brings a container. The machine has meansfor stopping and positioning thecontain'cr, means 'to insert full layersin the container from opposite sides, from the two feed belts inalternation, and means to release the filled container and move itquickly from the machine.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the machine is shown as supportedupon a frame structure 1. This has a transversely extending central'H-shaped section 2, with the sides 3 and 4 below the cross-membersforming legs, and the cross-members 5 a platform which projectslaterally to provide a base upon which the drivemechanism-can'besupported. The si'desi6 and 7 above th'e'platform havetheir tops bridged by table sections 8 "and -9 on either side of themachine. The tables areeut out at necessary places to accommodate thevarious operating mechanisms.

Along the longitudinal center of the machine there is apassageway 10 forcontainers, formed by wall plates 11, fixed to the upper legs of thecentral frame. wall-forming plates extend in pairs, parallel toone'a'nother in opposite directions from the central frame. At eitherside of the container passage, there is a clothespinfeed line. These areshown at 12 and 13111n'ning from opposite ends of the machine andterminating adjacent a loadingstation 14-. The feed lines include fe'e'dtables 15 and 16, which form continuati'ons of the central tablesections8 and'9, supported upon horizontal beams 17 and 18, fixed atoneend to the upper legs of thecen- Any other framing, bracing or tablestructure can-be used as'desired.

It would be'well at this point to-describe briefly one type' ofcontainer which maybe used with the machine and which is shown on thedrawings. This consistsof a rectangular tray 19 havings'ide Walls '20which extend Figure 6 is an-enlarged fragmentary top plan'view of above'thetops of 'theend'w'alls 21, to form top flaps '22. These'are folded'over'along lines joining the top'corners o'f the end walls to overliethe ends of the clothespin's when'the-box is packed. Theflaps willretain the ends or the:pins within the box and the package may beWrapped in cellophane, leaving the major portion of the pins visible.This is a conventional package. The containers will beiput in'thenrachine with'the flaps upright, form;- ing vertical continuationsof the side walls (see Figures 4am 5). V V

Theside Walls 11 of the container passageway are spaced'apartjustenoughtop'er'mit 'free'sliding movement of containers between them. The"containers -are'broug'h't; into the machineupon the top flight ofacontainer 'feed belt 'Belt :23 has its top 'flight horizontally positi'oned, and located :below'the clothespin feed table's 15 and 16 :justthe -depth :of the containers with'flaps 2 2 ver: tically positioned.The belt passes over a small pulley 24 located adjacent the'near end ofthe loading station in the directionofcontainer travel (see Figure 8).Pulley 2 4 is mounted upon shaft 25 journalled in the 'wall plates 11.At the inlet end-of the container passage, belt 23 ;passes aroung arelatively 'large drive pulley 26;, mounted u'p'o'n shaft 27,jonrnalledin plates 11. One end of "shaft '27 projects beyond the wallplate and -car ries a sprocket 28, driven by chain 29 from a sprocket 30on a drive shaft 31.

able motor 32 through a gear box 33, both mounted on platform 5.

A second belt 34, which is a discharge belt for filled containers, ismounted in alignment with belt 23, and its top flight forms acontinuation of the container support.

"A small pulley 35,'mounted on shaft 36, supports the end of belt 34adjacent the discharge end of the feed belt.

At the discharge end of the machine, the belt passes ing the feed anddischarge belts will be such that the discharge belt will move atapproximately three times the speed of the feed belt. The reason forthis will appear later.

It will benoted from Figure 8 that a container at the .loadingstationwill have moved off of the feed belt and be resting entirely upon thedischarge belt. Dogs 42 pivotally mounted on pins 43, fixed to brackets44 on the :walls 11 are adapted to engage the forward edge of thecontainer to limit its movement. The belt, slipping .under thecontainer, will keep it urged against the dogs '42 so that it will beaccurately positioned. T he dogs are mounted outside the walls 11, andhave inturned -fingers 45 which pass through openings 46 in the walls toproject across the belt 34 and lie in the path of movement of thecontainer. Springs 47 bias the dogs to containerstopping position.

Each dog 42 has an inclined cam surface 48 against which actuatinglevers 49 are adapted to be moved to cause the dogs 42 to swing abouttheir pivots to move the inturned fingers 45 out of the path of'travelof the containers, to permit the belt 34 to remove the container quicklyfrom the loading position. Lever 49 is bifurcated, having operating arms50 upstanding along the side Walls and pivoted to the side walls at 51..A single actuating arm 52 projects downwardly to contact a cam 53mounted on the drive shaft 31. The cam 53 is contoured to provide oneoperative movement of the lever 49 each revolution of the drive shaft.The pressure of the dogs against the lever 49 will hold it constantly incontact with the cam 53. The rapidity with which the belt 34 movesfilled containers from the loading station will provide ample time forthe dogs to move back to container-stopping position before the nextempty container, on the slower moving feed belt 23, moves up to theloading station.

. As mentioned above, feed tables 15 and 16 lie on opposite sides of thecontainer feed passageway 10, and approach the loading station fromopposite directions. A belt 54 has its top flight on the table 15. Thebelt passes over pulleys 55 and 56 suitably mounted on the framestructure. Pulley 56 is mounted on a shaft 57 which also carries asprocket 58 driven by a chain 59 from a sprocket 60 on shaft 31.Clothespins will be placed manually on the belt 54 and conveyed to theloading station.

In order to keep the pins in proper upright position for loading and tohold them in alignment, :1 guide bar 61 is arranged horizontally alongthe table 15 with its inner edge overlying the edge of the, belt. Thebar will besupported upon spacers 62 to hold the inner edge at suchheight as to permit it to lie between the diverging arms of a springtype clothespin 63 ,on the belt 54, as shown in Figure 10. The bar willalso enter the slot in the well-known slotted type clothespins when theyare being packed. An operator, when, placing the pins on the belt, willorient them properly and position them on the bar. The bar will holdthem correctly until they reach the loading station.

The'loading station is defined by a pair of side plates 64 and 65, whichspan the several feed-belts and are supported on the table sections 8and 9. The plates are Shaft 31 is powered from a suit-- 95 held againsta face cam 96 fixed to shaft 31.

spaced apart substantially the length of a container 19, so that onlyenough clothespins to form a layer in the container can be accommodatedbetween the plates. Plate 64 will be cut out above the belt 54 as at 66,to allow clothespins to move into the loading station. Plate 65 willform a wall to serve as a stop to position the pins within the station.In like manner to the container, the clothespins will be held in contactwith one another and the lead pin in contact with plate 65 by continuoumovement of the belt beneath them.

Feed table 16 is equipped similarly with a belt 67 on pulleys 68 and 69.Pulley 69 is mounted on a shaft 70 carrying a sprocket 71, driven by achain 72. As belt 67 is to move oppositely to belt 54, chain 72 is heldin contact with the underside of sprocket 71 by means of an idlersprocket 73, mounted above sprocket 71. Chain 72 is driven by a sprocket74 mounted on the main drive shaft 31. Guide bar 75 is fixed on spacers76 on the table 16, and plate 65 is notched, as at 77, to allow the pinsto pass through to the loading station. Plate 64 serves as the pin stopfor the pins fed on the belt 67.

Thus it will be seen that empty containers 19 are advanced to theloading station and held precisely in position there. Clothespins arealigned on the belts 54 and 67 and sufiicient pins to form layers areaccumulated in side-by-side order on each of the belts between theplates 64 and 65, ready for insertion into thecontainer. The clothespinsare placed in the containers, one

complete layer at a time, in alternation from the belts 54 and 67, bymeans of inserting mechanisms 78 and 79.

The inserting mechanism 78 is mounted upon a bed plate 80, bolted to thetable section 8 and. extends transversely of the machine from the belt54 to project beyond the table section 8. The bed plate carries guideblocks 81, which are recessed to form seats upon which an insertingplunger 82 may slide. The inserting plunger is held in the seats by capplates 83. The forward end of the plunger is provided with a pair ofspaced eyes 84, between which the mounting eye 85 of an inserting finger86 is positioned. The eyes of the respective members are drilled, and apin 87 put through the openings to pivotally connect the insertingfinger to the end of the plunger. The finger is capable of verticaltilting and is held horizontally when the plunger is in withdrawnposition by resting upon a rib or lug 88 on the bed plate 80. Thisposition is' shown at the left of Figure 4. When the plunger isretracted, as in Figure 4, inserting finger 86 will form a-continuationof'the guide bar 61. Thus, pins moving along on belt 54 will pass off ofbar 61 onto the inserting finger 86. Enough of the clothes- .pins toform a layer in the container, nine as shown, will accumulate on theinserting finger andfill it from end to end.

The plunger is urged forwardly, toward the container, by a spring 89which has one end connected to the outer end of the plunger and theother to one of the guide blocks 81. Movement of the plunger iscontrolled by means of a lever 90, pivoted on the platform 5, at 91, andhaving its upper end connected to the plunger by means of a link 92connected to a bracket 93, secured to the underside of plunger 82. Thebed plate is slotted, as 'at 94, to allow for movement of the bracket93. Above the pivot 91, and in the horizontal plane of the main driveshaft 31, the lever carries a cam follower roller The cam has a low 97which will permit the lever to tilt forwardly and the plunger to advancethe inserting finger once each revolution of the shaft 31. As the rollermoves ofi of the low the lever will retract the plunger to inop erativeposition.

The plunger 82 carries a gate 98 which forms a continuation of the sideedge of the inserting finger and will be moved across belt 54 as thefinger is advanced, to hold the pins on the belt against movement untilthe finger is retracted.

7 versely of the article conveyor to move accumulated group lots ofarticles into containers at the loading station, means to drive saidarticle and container conveyors and said article inserting means, acontainer discharge conveyor in alignment with said container feedconveyor and closely adjacent thereto to permit containers to pass fromthe feed conveyor to the discharge conveyor, said discharge conveyorhaving an entrance end immediately beneath said loading station, meansto drive said discharge conveyor at a more rapid rate than saidcontainer feed conveyor, releasable means to engage containers and holdthem against movement at the loading station, and means to release saidreleasable means after operation of said article inserting means,whereby filled containers will be moved rapidly from the loading stationcreating a gap between the discharging container and the next advancingempty container on the slower moving container feed conveyor. 7

9. A machine for automatically packing small articles in containerscomprising, a frame, means on said frame to form a loading station, acontainer feed conveyor to advance containers to the loading station, anarticle conveyor arranged to transport articles to be packed to theloading station, means at the loading station to arrest movement ofarticles on the article conveyor to cause accumulation of predeterminedgroup lots of articles at the loading station, article inserting meansmovable transversely of the article conveyor to move accumulated grouplots of articles into containers at the loading station, means to drivesaid article and container conveyors and said article inserting means,said article feeding conveyor being located above the container feedconveyor a distance at least equal to the height of the containers, andsaid inserting means including a pivoted inserting finger engageablewith the articles of an accumulated group lot, whereby said insertingfinger may tilt with the engaged articles to guide the articles to thebottoms of con tainers at the loading station.

10. Mechanism for inserting into cartons clothespins having separatedlegs comprising, means to support an open carton, means above the cartontop and to the side thereof to receive a plurality of alignedclothespins with their separated legs extending away from said carton, aplunger, an inserting finger pivotally connected to the plunger on ahorizontal pivot, the plunger and finger movable to insert the fingerbetween the legs of the accumulated clothespins and move the clothespinsto the carton, the pivotal connection of the finger to the plungerpermitting the finger to swing downwardly to guide clothespins to thebottom of the carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,568,082 Mitton Ian. 5, 1926 1,954,842 Ranney et al Apr. 17, 19342,124,962 Ferguson et al July 26, 193 8' 2,179,648 Thayer Nov. 14, 19392,320,934 James et al June 1, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 986,164 France Dec.13, 1949

